Services
for Adopting Parents
Bright Futures Adoption Center offers both pre and post-placement
services for adoptive families. Click below to learn more about
each of the services offered by Bright Futures.
Initial Educational Consultation
Homestudy Services
Networking Services
Counseling and Support
Escrow Account Management Services
Post-Placement Supervision
Legal Finalization
Post-Placement Parenting Group
Facilitation of Contact with the
Birth Family
Newsletter
Initial Educational Consultation
The first step in becoming a client of Bright Futures is to participate
in a two to three hour educational consultation. During the consultation,
we will talk with you about why you have decided to build your
family through adoption, your specific needs, desires and concerns
about adoption, and what type of adoption is right for you. We
will also explain the services offered by Bright Futures, our
policies and procedures and how you can begin networking to find
a pregnant women/couple. In order to make the consultation as
productive as possible, Bright Futures requests that all pre-adoptive
parents complete Bright Futures' Adoptive Parent Intake Form and
submit it to Bright Futures at least one week prior to the consultation.
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Homestudy Services
All adopting parents that wish to work with Bright Futures must
have a favorable homestudy completed by Bright Futures or completed
by a licensed adoption agency or social worker in the state where
the adopting parents reside within the last twelve months and
approved by Bright Futures. During the homestudy process, Bright
Futures will evaluate your ability to meet the physical, developmental,
emotional and educational needs of a child and will write a written
report stating its conclusions as to the characteristics of children
which your home can safely accommodate and which you can best
serve. If you have a homestudy that was completed more than twelve
months ago, Bright Futures will confirm the data included in your
homestudy report and update your homestudy. top
Networking Services
If you choose to continue working with Bright Futures after the
Initial Educational Consultation, Bright Futures will assist you
in the process of searching for a pregnant woman or couple considering
making an adoption plan for their child. As part of the networking
process, Bright Futures will assist you in the preparation of
a family profile and letter to birth parents that gives birth
parents a sense of who you are and what you believe. Bright Futures
will share your profile with birth parents who most closely share
your needs and expectations about the adoption (including expectations
about the racial, cultural or religious identity of the child,
ongoing contact, and financial ability/needs). Bright Futures
will act as a link between the adopting parents, the birth parents
and any other adoption agency, attorney or other adoption professional
that may be involved in a particular situation. Bright Futures
will also be available to answer calls from birth parents responding
to the networking efforts of adoptive parents. top
Counseling and Support
Bright Futures will provide education, counseling and support
to adoptive parents throughout the adoption process. Each situation
is different and requires individual attention based on the specific
needs of the parties involved in the adoption. Counseling and
support may include in each case counseling adoptive parents about
their role in the adoption triangle and compassionate methods
of communicating with birth parents and their extended family;
providing support in specific situations that arise prior to or
after the birth of the child; assisting the adoptive parents in
creating an adoption plan that is appropriate for all parties
to the adoption and modifying the adoption plan to meet changes
in circumstances throughout the adoption process; assisting adoptive
parents in arranging the details of the delivery itself and dealing
with the legal and emotional issues that may arise; helping adoptive
parents assess the risks presented by the particular situation;
and counseling adoptive parents in managing their relationship
with the birth family after the birth and placement of a child.
In addition, adoptive parents will have the option of becoming
part of a support network comprised of people who have adopted
or are in the process of adopting.top
Escrow Account Management Services
During the adoption process, adoptive parents are often asked
to pay certain pregnancy and adoption-related expenses of the
birth parents. Such payments are typically made out of an escrow
account funded by the adoptive parents. Bright Futures provides
adoptive parents with escrow account management services, including
setting up the escrow account, monitoring expenses, timely payment
of all authorized expenses, and provision of detailed monthly
accounting reports whenever there is activity relating to the
account.top
Post-Placement Services
For adoptive parents residing in Massachusetts, there is a six-month
post-placement waiting period (beginning on the date you return
to Massachusetts with your baby) before you can finalize the adoption
in court. During that time, a social worker from Bright Futures
will visit with you and your baby once a month to assess how the
placement is working. Based on these visits, Bright Futures will
complete a monthly report setting forth the developmental milestones
of the baby, your and your family's adjustment to the role of
parent and adoptive family, and the social worker's conclusions
about the appropriateness of the placement. At the end of the
six month period, Bright Futures prepares the post-placement report
filed with the adoption petition.top
Legal Finalization
For adoptive parents located in Massachusetts, Bright Futures
provides those legal services necessary to finalize the adoption,
including meeting interstate compact requirements, filing the
adoption petition in the Probate and Family Court and attending
the finalization hearing. top
Post-Placement Parenting Group
The Post-Placement Parenting Group meets once a week for eight
weeks and is designed specially for adoptive parents and their
babies. The Group focuses on topics of interest to new adoptive
parents and the exact agenda for each eight week session varies
depending on the specific interests of each group of parents.
The topics that might be covered include infant care and other
topics typically covered in a first-time parenting group (feeding,
sleeping, playing with your infant etc), your adoption stories,
talking to your family and friends about adoption, creating a
"life" book for your child, and managing your relationship with
your child's birth family. The Group will provide support as you
adjust to parenting and, specifically to adoptive parenting, and
an opportunity to meet other adoptive families in your area. top
Facilitation of Ongoing Contact
with Your Child's Birth Family
Building a relationship with your child's birth family based on
trust and mutual respect is an important part of your job as an
adoptive parent. Bright Futures can help you build your relationship
by:
- Facilitating the exchange of pictures and letters if you or
the birth parents are not comfortable disclosing your/their
address at the outset;
- Assisting you in creating an ongoing contact plan that is
comfortable for you, comfortable for the birth parents and in
the best interests of the child (such a plan may include a combination
of letters, telephone calls and/or visits);
- Assisting you in revising an ongoing contact plan that has
become uncomfortable for you, for the birth parents or for the
child; or
- Providing a neutral ground for meetings or visits with the
birth family. top
Newsletter
As a client of Bright Futures, you will receive Bright Futures'
newsletter. The newsletter contains articles on current adoption
issuues, letters and articles from birth parents and adoptive
parents on their adoption experiences, dates of upcoming adoption
conferences and news about Bright Futures, its programs and services.
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